In South Asia, the number of higher education students jumped from 12.2 million in 2000 to 21.0 million in 2009, an annual expansion rate of 7%. In the process, South Asia more than tripled its average gross enrollment ratio (GER) in tertiary education from 4% in 1980 to 13% in 2009. In the coming years, the demand for higher education is expected to remain strong as a result of the prevailing secondary education GER of 56%.Source: ADB. 2014. Innovative Strategies in Higher Education for Accelerated Human Resource Development in South Asia

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